DPMJ One Shot: Date Night
by RoninS636
Summary: Takes place directly after Tomb of Dreams. After escaping Rapture and it's crazies, as well as tying up some loose ends, the two lovebirds finally decide to go on a proper date.


As the couple finished their slow dance, the music's finishing notes washing over them, Elizabeth and Dante allowed themselves to embrace the music until they finally came to a slow stop in the middle of the TARDIS dance floor. As Elizabeth went to put on another song, Dante realized that the TARDIS was landing and went to check the scanner. He grinned when he saw that they had indeed landed where they were supposed to, and looked up at his companion with a slight grin.

"Hey, I think we've arrived. Not sure though-scanner's acting a bit wonky," he lied smoothly. "Would you take a look outside and check for me?"

"How am I supposed to know if I don't know where we're going?" she asked, turning off the radio.

"Just tell me what you see. I'll wait in here."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but there was no heat behind her gaze. She shrugged, grabbing her jacket and donning it before heading out the door, closing it behind her. Dante would have liked to see her reaction to the world outside, but he thought she might like a few moments to herself to process it. When she didn't return after a few minutes, though, he grew slightly worried and stepped outside himself to check on her, only to find her right outside the door nearly in tears. After closer inspection, though, they were thankfully happy tears. Ping

"So...does this suit your fancy, or should we head elsewhere?" He asked the still shaken girl, smiling cheekily to show he meant nothing by it. "I hear Barcelona is lovely this time of year."

"Oh, shut up, you," she half-sobbed, turning away from the glittering lights of Paris, shining like stars in the evening sky. It would be dark soon, and the whole town would be one giant ball of light. "Dante...thank you. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome-but really, Elizabeth. I would do anything for you, you know that. Now, we should probably hurry along-I've got another surprise for you, but we have to be there soon."

Elizabeth turned to him again, grinning. "Oh, I can't wait. I hope it's food, I'm starving."

"Well...that and one other thing. But first we need a mode of transportation. Be right back." He hopped back into the TARDIS, and a minute or two later, the sound of an engine could be heard as the doors opened as Dante came out riding a Triumph Bonneville Scrambler motorcycle. He was wearing a helmet and a set of goggles and a second pair was in his hand. Pulling up to Elizabeth, he held out the second set of travel gear to her. "You're going to need this. Plus it's mandatory, road rules and all."

Elizabeth gawked at the strange metal machine, stepping closer and examining it carefully. An expression of awe and wonder crossed her features as she looked from the motorcycle to Dante. "What _is _this thing? Is it safe, will it fit us both? I've never seen anything like it…"

"It's a motorcycle. Though they were invented in 1885, before you were born, understandably they didn't have these in Columbia, or Rapture. Even then, they've come a long, long way since then. It's the 80's and we're going to have a blast on this thing, if you'll just hop on and hang on tight to me."

Albeit hesitant, Elizabeth trusted Dante fully, and took the gear and sat behind him all the while wrapping her arms around him. With that, Dante revved the throttle as the bike shot off, Elizabeth grip becoming slightly tighter and she held onto him close. While slightly intimidated by the sudden speed of the vehicle, she did take the time to take in the sights around her, noting with immense pleasure that most of it looked to be one, colorful, loud blur. As they zipped through the city, the Paris night came to life animatedly, the bustling and hustling of the city's residents converting into one loud shout as the people talked, laughed, walked, and even just sat on the sidewalk as Elizabeth and Dante zipped past. At one stoplight, she looked over at the sound of a group of girls having an animated conversation about something, their voices too low in the uproarious nightlife to be heard. One of the girls looked up and made eye contact, and as she grinned and waved at her, the other girls noticed and joined in. Elizabeth returned the warm gesture before the light turned green and she and Dante sped off again, leaving them behind.

The night air was chilly, even though she had a jacket on, and the wind from the motorcycle didn't really help, but she didn't mind. It reminded her, in a bittersweet way, of Columbia, so high in the clouds that it was always cold no matter the season. She wasn't in Columbia anymore, or Rapture-she was in _Paris, _the city of her dreams, and so much better than she had ever hoped. As they neared their destination, wherever it was, Elizabeth allowed herself to relax almost completely and taste the air-not cold and almost artificial, like her home so long ago, or salty and musty, like Rapture. The outside air, cold but inviting, smelling of a thousand different scents at once-freshly baked bread, cigarettes, delicious pastries, gunpowder (no doubt from the fireworks not far off-she didn't know where they were coming from, but she could see them even from here). A million things she'd never smelled before, and it was intoxicating. She laughed.

Dante heard her over the roar of the vehicle and a smile crossed his face. He thought that after all they've been through with Columbia and Rapture, they deserved a well earned vacation. He grinned as he imagined her expression behind him, and rode on into the night, noting happily that they were almost at their destination.

Soon enough, they rolled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Elizabeth looked up at the building in amazement as Dante secured a parking spot for them, and then stored their helmets safely away before taking her hand and leading her inside.

_**XxxxX**_

After an hour and a half spent eating exotic French cuisine, fine desserts, and generally just having an amazing time, the two paid their bill and left the restaurant, still chatting animatedly about a book Elizabeth had been reading (but had never gotten to finish) before the whale Rapture fiasco had taken place. Dante promised to buy her the book as soon as he could, and the two made their way back to Dante's bike and hopped back on.

"Back to the TARDIS, or do more adventures await us? What else have you got up your sleeve?"

"I don't want to spoil the surprise, so I won't say _what _we're seeing, but I've gotten us tickets to see a movie. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll like it. The theater isn't too far from here-about ten minutes or so, depending on traffic. By the time we get out, it'll be early morning, or close to it. I've booked us a hotel room for the night, so we'll head there after we're done with the movie. Now, no more questions, Elizabeth-I won't be able to hear them above the wind."

_**XxxxX**_

It took fifteen minutes exactly to reach their next destination, and as soon as they rolled up alongside the theater, Elizabeth peered up at the marquee curiously. As Dante slowed the motorcycle, she was able to read the words and frowned.

"_Star Wars: Événement Marathon,_" she read, raising an eyebrow before reading the smaller text underneath. The entire thing was in French, but having wanted to come here for as long as she could remember, she had long ago taught herself the language. "_Un Nouvel Espoir, L'empire Contre-Attaque, et Retour du Jedi. À partir de 8:40 et se terminant à 3:00._" She looked questioningly at Dante as he dismounted the metal machine, getting off herself and handing him her helmet. Dante looked up at the marquee himself, and nodded.

"'Star Wars Marathon Event'," he explained as he dug around in his jacket for something. "There are two movies we have to see before we see the newest one, and for those who haven't seen them either, some theaters offer 'marathon' events, where they showcase all of the movies in the series before showing the newest one. We're going to see all three: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and finally, The Return of the Jedi."

"It says on the marquee that it starts at 8:40 and ends at 3:00. We're going to be in there for _six hours_?" she asked incredulously, as Dante found what he was looking for and showed it to Elizabeth. They were movie tickets, and he handed her hers as he parked the motorcycle and led her inside.

"And seventeen minutes, to be precise," he joked, then shook his head at her worried expression. "Don't worry. There are breaks in between, and we'll get refreshments. Trust me, it's going to be _so _worth it. You'll love it, I know you will. Very few people don't."

"I'll take your word for it. Now, it looks like it's almost time," she said, glancing at a wristwatch Dante has lent her from the TARDIS wardrobe. "Let's go ahead and head inside. I'm excited to see what all this is about."

_**XxxxX**_

After several hours inside the dark movie theater, with the loud, booming volume of the speakers and the bright, flashing lights of the special effects, even Dante was dazed as they stepped onto the sidewalk outside the movie theater. The leaving crowd looked like they felt much the same way, wobbling and blinking rapidly as they left the movie theater behind. Elizabeth and Dante elected to lean against the wall for a few minutes, regaining their senses. Several other moviegoers seemed to have the same notion, as just as many people still lingered as there were ones who left immediately. Many of them leaned against the walls nearby as well, or sat on the sidewalk, or simply passed a cigarette around whilst standing by the entrance—but everyone was talking, animatedly discussing the exciting events that had transpired in the past six hours. Elizabeth, too, was stunned, far more so than anyone else there.

As Dante politely but firmly refused a cigarette offer made by one of the other patrons, Elizabeth turned to look at him, a fire in her blue eyes. "Wow. I mean..._wow. _Those movies were—they were unlike anything I've _ever _seen before, in Columbia, or Rapture, or even my Tears. All that light! Those effects! All that action, and sound, and they were _talking, _too! Films aren't silent anymore! I mean, I knew that, but to experience it myself! Amazing!"

"I knew you would like it," Dante said, holding the popcorn bucket out for her as she reached in and grabbed a handful. It was almost gone, and a good thing, too—they would be able to bring it with them on the motorcycle. "Which was your favorite? Mine, personally, is Empire Strikes Back."

"Hm...I'd have to say A New Hope. That was the first one, right? I liked the rebel princess...oh, what was her name."

"Leia."

Elizabeth snapped her fingers. "Right. I liked Leia, even if her hairdo is a bit... freaky. It's stylish, anyhow, which is more than I can say for the people of my time. Speaking of hair, though, what's _with _the people of this time and having hair so big an owl could shack up in it?"

"It's just the latest fad," Dante laughed, as Elizabeth reached into the bucket and took the last handful of popcorn. "It'll pass soon enough. The future has bigger things than hair to worry about, anyhow. And speaking of late, and the future…" He checked his own wristwatch, and frowned as he pushed off the wall. "We'd best head to that hotel I mentioned. It's not far from here, but we'd better hurry."

"Sounds good to me. I'm exhausted, and even though I kind of don't want this night to end, I can't wait until it does. Let's head out."

_**XxxxX**_

Surprisingly, it took less time than they thought to get to the hotel-less than eight minutes, in fact. It was mostly due to the low traffic at this time of night that they were able to arrive so quickly. Once Dante found a parking space for the bike, the two walked into the building and up to the service desk.

"Reservation under for one Mr. Alighieri."

The person manning the desk glossed over the book, frowning slightly. "I don't see...ah, here we go: reservation for one Virgil Alighieri in the Executive King suite. Allow me to show you." He smiled broadly, showing a hint of actual friendliness behind the customer service facade. He stepped from behind the counter and gesturing for them to follow him. They went to the elevator as it went up to the top floor as he guided them to their room before opening the door.

"If you need room service, just dial zero on the phone. Now, if you need nothing else, please, you two enjoy your time staying here."

"I think that will be all right now," Elizabeth said, smiling warmly. "Thank you."

The man nodded as he left, still smiling as he closed the door behind him. Dante turned to Elizabeth, smiling coyly, but Elizabeth had already turned and was heading for the bed. Dante watched as she collapsed on the covers, and it looked as she was about to fall asleep when she said, "Help me out of these."

"...What?"

"Clothes. I need them off. Did you bring pyjamas?"

"I didn't think about it. We'll be staying here a few days, so we'll go back to the TARDIS tomorrow and get some of our stuff. For now though, we'll just have to make do. Let me help you."

Wordlessly, she groggily sat up, and allowed Dante to help her undress before gracelessly collapsing back on the bed without bothering to get under the covers. Dante took off his own clothes and joined her, adjusting the covers so that they covered her anyways and then joined her in slumber.


End file.
